Children, adults alike have a ‘memorable journey’ on Vande Bharat Express

Kendriya Vidyalaya students who won in various competitions organised by Waltair Railway Division were invited to travel in the train from Rajamahendravaram to Visakhapatnam

Excitement was writ large on the faces of passengers, children and invitees as they eagerly waited for the arrival of the Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express at Rajamahendravaram railway station on January 15 (Sunday). Their euphoria was understandable as it was the first indigenously-built semi high-speed train, which covers 700 km in just 8 hours 30 minutes.

As the train chugged into the station, children scurried to reach their compartments, but had to wait till the door opened automatically. Once the children got into their coaches, they looked around in awe. The ‘aeroplane-like’ ambience, large glass windows, luxury seats, centre tables at some places, chairs in the executive chair car coaches, which can be rotated in different directions, the ‘dining tables’, which can be opened and closed as per need, the CCTVs at either ends of each coach, the colourful walls and clean toilets are a new experience to them. “It was a memorable journey,” some children said.

The children of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Waltair, who won in various competitions organised by the Waltair Railway Division, were invited to travel in the Vande Bharat Express from Rajamahendravaram to Visakhapatnam, along with their parents and teachers. They took selfies along with their classmates. Some of them went round the coaches.

The CCTVs displayed the name of the next railway station en route and the speed of the train at the particular moment. It was a smooth ride even at 130 km per hour, unlike some of trains which produce a lot of noise even at 90 or 100 km per hour, the passengers said.

Divisional Railway Manager Anup Satpathy thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for providing the ultra-modern train to connect the two Telugu States and flagging it off on Sankranti. “The loco pilot can communicate with the passengers through an audio system. Similarly, passengers can also communicate with the Loco Pilot or guards in case of any emergency,” he said.

“The train is equipped with regenerative braking system to prevent loss of energy while braking at high speeds. The locomotive draws power from the overhead power lines and the same is utilised to run the motors for application of brakes. When sudden brakes are applied, the motors work as ‘alternators’ to flow the electricity in the reverse direction,” explained Senior Divisional Commercial Manager A.K. Srivastava.

Anakapalli MP B.V. Satyavathi, who boarded the train at Anakapalli, described Vande Bharat Express as a ‘sign of India’s development’. Earlier, the schoolchildren and invitees travelled in the special train from Visakhapatnam to Rajamahendravaram arranged by the Waltair Division, and experienced the travel in the ultra-modern train.